Our roundup of a few of Rome’s lesser-known attractions takes in some offbeat yet excellent places to eat, see, shop and stay in the Eternal City.
Because sure, you schlepped around Rome as a backpacking 20-something and have since dutifully ticked off all this storied travel destination’s main attractions: the Forum, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, St Peter’s Basilica and the likes. The thing is, the Italian capital is also a living, breathing and above all multilayered city that rewards repeat visits – and all manner of random wanderings.
As Anglo-Irish novelist Elizabeth Bowen (of The Last September fame) wrote in her travelogue about the original metropolis, A Time in Rome (1960), “Knowledge of Rome must be physical, sweated into the system, worked up into the brain through the thinning shoe-leather… When it comes to knowing, the senses are more honest than the intelligence.” Here is our quick round-up of ways to wear out your trainers …
What to see
Suffice it to say that these aren’t the usual suspects – but then you’ve already clocked enough Renaissance art and ancient ruins for one lifetime, right? Head off the beaten track to:
The Non-Catholic Cemetery
Not only is this quite literally one of the coolest spots in the city in the summer, as it is full of greenery and shaded by beautiful mature trees, the Non-Catholic Cemetery is also probably the most romantic. Not one but two giants of English Romantic poetry – John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley – each have a grave or memorial here. Famously, Keats’s gravestone doesn’t even have his actual name on it, but it’s very easy to find and a place of pilgrimage for anyone who’s ever murmured “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever” when looking at a sublime view, an exquisite sculpture, or Paul Mescal.
There are plenty of other memorials worth checking out here, and it’s a place for people-watching too: the pair of visibly moved, obviously usually very serious academic types I saw at the grave of Italian Communist Party founder and philosopher Antonio Gramsci were worth the price of my (entirely voluntary) €5 donation-slash-fee on their own. Buy a map at the small gift store and be mindful that this is still a working cemetery, so a funeral could well be in progress when you visit.
The Keats-Shelley House museum
If you do happen to be a genuine fan of Romantic poetry, your visit to the cemetery should be complemented by some time spent at the petite Keats-Shelley House museum, just alongside the Spanish Steps. Its warren of interleading spaces includes the bedroom in which Keats died, aged just 25, of tuberculosis in 1821, and there are displays of letters, manuscripts and portraits of his generation of Romantics, including the scandalous Lord Byron.
Basilica di Santa Cecilia
Situated in the delightfully walkable and picturesque neighbourhood of Trastevere on the western side of the Tiber River, this beautiful baroque church is a little off the beaten track but well worth a visit – not least for the truly exquisite marble statue of its titular saint by the great Roman sculptor Stefano Maderno (1576-1636). Saint Cecilia was tortured and executed in 230 AD for the crime of attempting to convert her husband and brother to Christianity.
Where to eat
It’s quite difficult to eat badly in Rome – this is a city in which, for Italian-speakers anyway, the process of ordering food in a restaurant is expected to involve several minutes of very serious discussion between the entire table and the waitperson. Rome has many signature dishes you simply have to sample, including the legendary cacio e pepe and amatriciana pastas. And did we mention the huge sheets of pizza, always cut into rectangles, that are a must-try takeout option? Or the cream-filled maritozzi bun that you should have for breakfast at least once? Finally, you have to eat gelato (always, always get the whipped cream on top, it’s essential here) and … eat at a Sicilian place:
Gelato
It’s excellent almost everywhere, but we can personally recommend Gelato San Lorenzo, Panna & Co in Testaccio (go and sit on a bench in the nearby Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice and people-watch while you savour your ice cream) and Gelateria Giolitti – also in Testaccio or another more central branch near the Pantheon. You’re walking so much, you need the calories.
Siciliainbocca
From the exuberant decor – colourful fringed lampshades, classic teste di moro and pomegranate-print wallpaper – to the delectable Sicilian food, Siciliainbocca is an absolute treat. Be like South Africa’s current most controversial export, Elon Musk, and have the red prawns, or just go wild and order a whole grilled fish for the table plus a few primi and contorni dishes. Ask your waiter for help – the service here is brilliantly efficient, and also very warm and kindly.
Where to shop
Central Rome is a place of specialist stores, from small clothing boutiques to neighbourhood bakeries, rather than the huge temples of shopping you find in many other big cities around the world. And our impression was that Romans absolutely love a good bag: almost everyone totes something stylish yet understated. Shop every top brand you can imagine in the streets around the Piazza di Spagna – and especially in Via dei Condotti – from Bulgari (it’s the brand’s flagship, and looks it too) to Gucci. You should also visit:
Ortigia
Ortigia’s fabulous Sicilian perfumes and soaps are all encased in gorgeously ornate packaging that features (of course) prowling leopards, and they make gorgeous gifts. We especially recommend the Sicilian Lime hand wash and Bergamotto eau de parfum, but it’s all gorgeous – and there’s a charming selection of small homeware items too.
Libreria GRIOT
This super cool, small, independent, Africa-focused bookstore (which has plenty of English-language options) is in Trastevere. Ask the knowledgeable staff for recommendations and be sure to browse the selection of coffee-table treats, which when we were there featured some beautiful specialist titles such as a book on wax print fabrics.
Places to stay
For some reason it just feels right to stay in a hotel rather than an Airbnb here. In a city like Rome, hotels feel smart and elegant enough to do justice to the city’s historic character and endless, seemingly effortless ability to awe. Here are two new-ish options in very different parts of town:
CC Palace Hotel Roma
Brilliantly situated on the edge of Monti – a boho neighbourhood with loads of vintage fashion and antiques stores, the CC Palace is super central, discreetly stylish, very quiet, and has wonderful, friendly staff. And very good bathrooms.
The Hoxton, Rome
We love a Hoxton hotel – many other hospitality groups try to reproduce this one’s ability to create oases of on-brand interior design that also feel rooted in their context, and most of them fail. The Hoxton Rome is both an excellent base for exploring the charms of its neighbourhood of Parioli, including the nearby Villa Borghese gardens and gallery, and a place you’ll want to hang out and have coffee in the lobby or apertivi on the terrace.
Three quick tips when you do leave the building: look out for swathes of the Aurelian Walls, built by the Roman emperor of the same name between 271 AD and 275 AD, in the area; be absolutely sure to book tickets online in advance if you want to visit the Villa Borghese Gallery; and don’t miss a stroll around the delightful Quartiere Coppedè, which is close by (extra points if you spot the South African embassy here).
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This article was produced in partnership with Discovery.
Top image: Rome by Jorge Franganillo
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